This epic family biography begins in the 1860s with Louisa Drew, the greatest comedienne of her time, mother of the brilliant Georgiana Drew Barrymore and mother-in-law of the vaudeville star and matinee idol Maurice Barrymore. But it is the children of Georgie and Maurice who are the heart of the book: Ethel, Lionel, and John, the most extraordinary members of an extraordinary family. We see Ethel's sensational social and stage debuts in London and...

Magdalene la Bâtarde is the madam of the Old Priory Guesthouse in Southwark. People expect her and her women to indulge in a number of sinful activities, but bloody murder isn't one of them. Then Baldassare, the messenger, dies. The Bishop of Winchester, who was served for many years by Baldassare, puts Sir Bellamy of Itchen, his most trusted knight, in charge of the investigation. Sir Bellamy must find out how and why Baldassare died or else watch...

"It was a great adventure, motivated by more than simply religion or pure aggression: the Crusades resulted from an emotional climate that led people from all walks of life to leave their homes and follow the unattainable ideal of a heavenly Jerusalem here on Earth. A prize-winning author paints a portrait of the whole of feudal society, evoking its exceptional vitality and the ingenuity of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem--one of the more sophisticated...

Magdalene la Bâtarde knew trouble was brewing in medieval Oxford, but she never expected it would involve murder. She teams up with old friends and cohorts, including the whores and barmaids of Oxford, to clear up the mess and untangle a murder.